​Back pain can often be accompanied by muscle spasms. It can range from a mild discomfort to a sharp pain. You may be wondering, “why do I get muscle spasms in my low back? Are my back spasms serious? How do I stop these painful back spasms?”

Back spasms are a protective mechanism. For example, maybe you hurt yourself while lifting a heavy load. Your body will temporarily see the act of bending over as a threat. The muscles will tighten up (increase their tone) to prevent you from bending over again.

Another common reason for back spasms are tightness of the hip flexor muscles. This is usually associated with an anterior pelvic tilt and excessive arch in the low back. One of the hip flexor muscles, the psoas, attaches to the front of the spinal bones (vertebrae). Our spines want to find stability and if they are being pulled on from the front, then the back muscles will tighten up to counteract that pulling and even out the forces.

Here are some reasons that you could develop back spasms:

• Muscle strain
• Facet joint osteoarthritis
• Spinal stenosis
• Herniated disc
• Core weakness

The good news is that back spasms are not serious and most back pain associated with them are mechanical and can be treated with rest (from any aggravating activities), activity (i.e. walking, any other activities you can tolerate), or physical therapy.

If you notice any of the following symptoms, then contact your physician as soon as possible:

• Changes in bowel or bladder function
• Numbness or tingling in the groin
• Pain that keeps you up all night
• Unexplained weight loss/gain

​Back spasms are just a symptom of your low back episode. Determining the cause of your low back pain and treating the root cause will take care of any muscle spasms. It is important to be evaluated by a low back expert and provided with an active recovery plan. Especially if back pain has become a recurring issue for you.

​Do you struggle with low back pain that affects your ability to exercise, productivity at work, or prevents you from joining in on family activities? We can help you! Click the link below to request a Free Discovery Visit. We will tell you what is causing your back pain and how we will help you get control of your life again!

​Physical therapy may not always be your first thought with an ache, nagging back pain, or headaches. As a PT, I hear a lot of misconceptions about what physical therapy is and when someone might need it. The most common ones are that PT is for after a surgery or when someone gets hurt in a car accident. It never crosses their mind to see a physical therapist for any other situation.

While we do help post surgical clients and PTs can help you if you have been in a car accident, here are 7 more reasons to see a physical therapist.

​If you are dealing with pain without a known cause (i.e. being diagnosed with gastrointestinal issues), a physical therapist can do a thorough evaluation to get to the bottom of what is causing the pain. Even if we find that it is not something that a PT can help you with, oftentimes we can get a general idea of what the problem is and point you in the direction of the proper health profession that can help.

​You don’t even have to be in pain to see a physical therapist. If you feel like you are stiff or immobile, that’s something that we specialize in. It is one of the main reasons why people get injured, so getting it taken care of before pain sets in is a great idea.

​I actually prefer to say “reduce the risk of injuries” because sometimes injuries in sports are unavoidable. However, there are things that we can do to make you stronger, more stable, and help you get into safer positions that will all reduce your risk of being injured.

​Physical therapy isn’t just for post surgical rehab. It could actually prevent you from getting surgery. Many people are saved from unnecessary back, knee, and hip surgeries by going through physical therapy first. Additionally, people that can’t avoid knee or hip replacements recover much better and faster after their surgery when they go through a round of physical therapy leading up to their surgery day.

Back pain is one of the most common injuries we see. A lot of people opt for treatments like pain killers, heat, stretching, or adjustment, all with little to no relief because they only treat the symptoms. The key to fixing back pain is to find the root cause, like immobile hips or poor lifting form. Physical therapists are experts in diagnosing and treating low back pain and giving you the tools to manage it at home.

​Speaking of back pain, click the link here if you want to read our “7 Tips for Fixing Back Pain and Staying Active”

​Headaches come in many different forms and we can help with some of them. One of the most common is a cervicogenic headache, which is a headache that is caused by the muscles of the neck. We can help work on things like postural control, neck mobility, and neck and upper back strength.

​Pain and limited mobility can have a huge impact on your performance, whether you feel it or not. Performance is literally in our name because it’s just as important to us as it is to our clients. We want you to help you run faster, jump higher, or lift heavier!

​Do you have something that is bothering you? Does it prevent you from being a part of your favorite sport or activity? Have a question for us about it? Give us a call at (607) 425-3369 or email us at brett@limitlessptny.com.

Bench Pressing can take a toll on your shoulders, but it doesn't have to. Watch the video below for two quick tips that can help you bench pain free!

If shoulder pain holds you back from hitting PRs in the gym or just staying active and healthy, then give us a call at (607) 425-3369 or click the link below to talk to with someone that understands fitness injuries and can get you back to where you want to be!

Knee pain can be very frustrating to deal with. It is one of the most common issues that we see at Limitless Performance Physical Therapy. We put together a few tips for working toward fixing your knee pain at home.

There are two main reasons for knee pain. A lack of mobility or a lack of control. A lack of mobility at the knee can increase the friction at the knee joint. A lack of control, specifically from the hip, will put your knee in poor positions and this will create excessive stress at the knee. Here are a few exercises to try that will tackle these two reasons and provide some symptom relief.

​The couch stretch will receive some pressure on the knee by decreasing tension in the rectus femoris, one of the hip flexor muscles that crosses the knee.

​Side planks provide a lot of different benefits for the upper body, lower body, and core. Here we are working on the muscles on the side of the hip, the glute medius, to improve control of the knee.

​The straight leg raise will strengthen the quads and help reduce the pain level. As well as strengthening the hip flexors and core.

​If you want to take care of your knee pain for good, so that you can continue stay active and work towards your goals, then give us a call at (607) 425-3369 or click the link below to request a FREE Discovery Visit!

​Low back pain can really interfere with your quality of life. Some people get frustrated when they can’t seem to find anything that will help them get relief. Most of the solutions you find online are extremely basic and generally unhelpful, like “take medication” or “buy a new mattress”. Here are 6 simple remedies that could help you get the relief that you need.

​With any injury it is important to get enough sleep. A lot of our recovery occurs when we are sleeping, so the longer we sleep the better our recovery. It also helps to reduce stress, which is a big factor that can amplify back pain. Shoot for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to optimize recovery and stress relief.

​Speaking of stress relief, breathing can be extremely helpful in that department. One issue a lot of people have is mouth breathing. Normal and effortless breathing occurs through the nose. When we breathe through our mouth it requires extra effort from other muscles that usually only assist in breathing with high intensity exercise. It also makes most of our air fill the chest cavity instead of the abdominal cavity. Filling the abdominal cavity helps to support our low back through intra-abdominal pressure.

Breathing is also connected to our nervous system. We have our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Mouth/chest breathing is a sure fire way to ramp up your sympathetic nervous which increases stress and can create excess tension in our muscles. We want to increase our parasympathetic tone when we are at rest (since we are not exercising or running away from a bear). We can do this with deep inhales through the nose and long exhales out the mouth. Breathing is one of the first things we usually address with our clients.

​One of the most important things to do when trying to let your back pain heal is to temporarily avoid positions that cause or increase your pain. If you continue to reaggravate it, then it will take much longer to heal. The same as if you were to pick at a scab. Leave it alone and let it heal on its own.

Inventory your movements throughout the day. Does sitting for long periods hurt your back? Does bending over irritate it? Does reaching overhead feel uncomfortable? What about standing for a long time? Back pain typically follows patterns and we can look at these to determine what the cause of your pain is and how to start getting immediate relief.

​Heat can be helpful for some people to loosen up the muscles and reduce some pain. It may be useful for bringing blood flow into the muscles and supporting recovery. This will be temporary though, so don’t assume you can melt your pain away. There is still work to be done for permanent relief.

I never recommend ice because it can be more harmful than helpful. Ice prevents normal inflammatory reactions. Inflammation is not as evil as everyone likes to make it out to be. It is a normal reaction that protects our bodies. However, it is only supposed to go on for a certain period of time and ice can prolong this process. Choose ice over heat, or even better choose activity over heat.

​Everyone’s reaction to a perception of tightness is to stretch the muscle that feels tight. This is not always the right answer, honestly it is the wrong answer most of the time. We have found that there are two pretty common reasons why the low back muscles tighten up.

One reason is that the hip flexors are tight, or have increased muscle tone. One of the hip flexors, the psoas, attaches to the front side of the lower spine. The psoas pulls forward on the spinal bones, or vertebrae. In reaction to this the low back muscles can tighten up to pull backwards on the bones and balance out the forces. Reducing tone in the hip flexor can eliminate the need for the back muscles to tighten up as well.

The other reason we see is that the core muscles aren’t able to stabilize properly, so the low back muscles tighten up in an attempt to create a strong and stable spine. This is more so when we are lifting heavier weights as opposed to in our everyday life.

Based on the issues above, you could actually make the issue worse if you stretch the low back muscles. They are just trying to find a way to create stability from some other weakness around the spine. Address the root cause of the problem and the low back will relax as a result.

​Exercise in general has been shown to be an extremely effective way to eliminate back pain. We also want to improve the strength around our low back and hips. Strengthening the gluteal muscles will help support your back, since they are supposed to be one of the main drivers when standing up, picking something off the ground, squatting, or deadlifting.

Instead of using the word “strengthening” for the low back, it’s more accurate to say “stabilize”. The difference is that strength is our ability to produce force to move a weight, Stability is being able to resist force and prevent movement. Bird dogs, planks, side planks, and dead bugs are great examples of stability exercises where the goal is to keep your core from moving.

​If you want more permanent relief from your low back pain and get it taken care of quickly, so that you can get back to living your best life without limits, then click the button below to request a Free Discovery Visit!

​Do you think you should be stretching more? Should you do it before or after a workout? Should you do dynamic or static stretching? And does it prevent injuries? We will dive into these questions and give you more clarity on if and when you should stretch.

​It is a pretty common belief that stretching is important for preventing injuries. This is not necessarily true. Research supports the fact that stretching can increase flexibility, but it does not support the claim that stretching prevents injuries. In some cases it may even cause injuries.

If we take a muscle that is tight and stretch it, then we will gain more motion. However, doing this before a run, heavy lift, or sporting event could lead to injury because there was no established control of this new motion that was just gained.

This is not to be confused with a proper warm up with mobility work done before a workout or sporting event. We, and most research in this topic, are mainly looking at static stretching for long hold times. But we do consider this on a case by case basis.

It is likely that a runner does not need to stretch their hamstrings before a run (more on this down below), at least not more than some dynamic stretching. The hamstring will be used actively when running, cycling through relaxation and contraction. Now take someone who is about to front squat. They could have limited flexibility in their lats that prevents them from getting their elbows up. It is highly unlikely that a static stretch to the lats would leave them at risk of injury because it is not a main driver in this exercise.

More important considerations for preventing the risk of injuries are the size of your workload and performing exercises with proper form. Stretching does not necessarily influence either of these factors, unless limited mobility is preventing you from getting into proper form.

There are multiple things to consider when deciding whether you need to stretch or not. So, read on and decide for yourself.

​Static stretching is holding a muscle at end range for a prolonged period of time, usually around 1-2 minutes. Dynamic stretching is essentially when we move in and out of a light stretch in a slow and controlled manner.

We prefer to use more dynamic stretching techniques for most sports. It still helps reduce tension in muscles and gain some flexibility from our normal resting state, but it is not as aggressive.

Key things to focus on for a warm up are to improve blood flow and prepare the muscle for activity. This is better accomplished with the repeated contractions from the muscles in dynamic stretching.

​In terms of before or after a workout our basic recommendation is:

• Dynamic stretching before exercise
• Static stretching after exercise or another time of the day

We established that dynamic stretching is better to include in a warm up. For static stretching we actually recommend doing stretching a different time of day not revolving around a workout or sporting event.

The argument many have for post workout stretching is to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), but the research does not support this claim either.

Again in some specific cases static stretching can be used prior to exercise, but most of the time we advise against it.

​A gymnast is going to need more flexibility or mobility than a runner. A powerlifter will have different flexibility needs than a gymnast and a runner. This is why general recommendations are not always the best.

Let's focus on the hamstrings since that is a muscle that is commonly victimized as tight and requiring static stretching. A gymnast needs to have extreme flexibility that exceeds that of the average person. But they still require good control at that end range, so it is important to follow up stretching with end range strengthening (this is what defines mobility).

A runner needs much less flexibility. They still want to be within the normal range, but having some tightness in the muscles is actually beneficial. The muscles use elastic energy to produce force, so having some tightness helps with that. Being overly flexible will not allow the runner to use that elastic recoil from the tension in muscles.

This carries over even more for a powerlifter or weightlifter that needs a lot of tension in the hamstrings to perform the deadlift. They still need to have a relatively normal range of motion, but overstretching can significantly affect the ability to generate tension through the posterior chain.

​In general static stretching is not going to prevent injuries or improve your performance. Although a proper warm up is still important and should focus primarily on dynamic stretching or other mobility work.

If you want to figure out exactly what is causing your injuries, then click the link below to claim a Free Discovery Visit!

​A groin strain is when the muscles on the inside of the thigh become overstretched or overworked. The groin muscles, also called the adductor muscle group, run along the inside of your thigh. They work to bring your leg in against your other leg, help with forward and back movements of the hip and knee, and play an important role in single leg stance.

Groin strains are common in runners and sports that involve a lot of cutting, twisting, and sprinting, like hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and football.

If you injure these muscles you will notice pain, stiffness, and weakness along the inside of the thigh. If it becomes a long standing (chronic) injury without proper care to fix it, then the pain can radiate to other areas of the leg.

​Our first steps of treatment are to reduce the pain. Isometrics are great for pain relief, here is the set up for one exercise we use:

Lay on your back with knees bent, feet flat, and a pillow between the knees.
Squeeze the pillow for 10 seconds, relax, and repeat for a total of 6-8 times.

Try to limit more strenuous exercises with the leg and, depending on how bad the groin strain is, crutches may be needed to unload the injured leg.

You will also want to continue gentle movement like straight leg raises in all directions, if tolerable.

Even if the pain goes away without treatment, there are two important reasons to still work with a physical therapist.

1. To build up strength
2. To address whatever caused the problem

After injuring a muscle, it will become weak. Most of the time it will not be back at full strength without some targeted strengthening of the groin muscles.

The most important aspect is to address whatever was the cause of the problem.

• Are you unstable on one leg?
• Are you stretching too much?
• Is your form not correct on a certain movement?
• Is there a weakness in your core muscles?

​Any of these things could contribute to an overuse or acute injury to the groin muscles.


If you want to find out which factors contributed to your injury and get back to your sport, then click the link below to request a FREE Discovery Visit or give us a call at (607) 425-3369!

​There are a lot of misconceptions about deadlifting. A lot of people in a variety of medical professions will tell you that deadlifting is dangerous and bad for your back.

It’s actually the opposite, deadlifts are used as a treatment for low back pain. It helps to build resilience in our backs and the confidence to live our lives without fear of injuring ourselves when we bend over to pick something up off the ground.

With that said, if someone is going through a bout of low back pain, they may be sensitive to conventional deadlifts. Here are some variations that may be more comfortable for you.

​Comparing the sumo deadlift to a conventional deadlift, we are in a more upright position. This position takes some stress off of the low back muscles.

​Simply changing the height of the bar can make a huge difference for some people. Shortening the range of motion is a simple adjustment to make and can easily be progressed by decreasing the height as your back pain begins to subside.

​The trap bar has a couple different benefits. It puts us in a more upright position, taking stress off the low back. Also, the placement of the handles puts our hands in a neutral position, which makes it easier to activate your lats. The lats play an important role in supporting the low back.

​The landmine setup provides a little more support than other barbell variations, so that most of the focus can be placed on activating the proper muscles.

​Single leg variations can be beneficial because they are loaded with less weight and require more core control. They can help build stability before working back into conventional deadlifts. If these are too difficult, keeping the back leg on the ground and performing a kickstand deadlift can be a great place to start.

If you have been struggling with back pain that keeps you from working on your strength, fitness, or weight loss goals, then give us a call at (607) 425-3369 or click the link below to request a Free Discovery Visit!

​Tight hip flexors can be annoying for lifters and runners. It can limit your ability to squat, run, or even walk. Everyone’s instinct when they feel tightness is to stretch the “tight” muscle, but what if that muscle is not the real problem?

​I will have people tell me that their hamstrings feel tight, yet they can bend over and touch their toes. In most cases, it’s not that the muscle is short. Instead, the nervous system is increasing the “tone” of the muscle which creates the sensation of tightness. The same thing goes for the hip flexor muscles.

​The Thomas Test is a classic test for assessing hip flexor tightness. If you do this test and your thigh can touch the table with knee straight and knee bent, then you do NOT have shortened hip flexors.

​The psoas is one of the main hip flexors that is a common culprit of feeling tight. The poas has attachments to the spine and has been shown to be a contributor to spinal stability. When the core muscles are weak, then the body searches for somewhere else to gain stability. So it calls upon the psoas and reflexively tightens it to support the spine.

So instead of stretching the hip flexors constantly, work on improving core stability. No, this does not mean do more crunches. Exercises that require you to round your back are fine, but they do nothing in terms of stability. Work on stabilizing in all planes of motion (flexion/extension, lateral bending, and rotation). The McGill Big 3 is a good place to start. The three exercises are the curl up, side plank, and bird dog. Here is a good video explaining them!

​Are hip issues preventing you from participating in your favorite sports and activities? Click the link below to request a FREE Discovery Visit! We will get to the bottom of what is causing your pain or tightness and let you know how we will help you fix it.

​Running is an art form. It’s not as simple as just lacing up your sneakers and letting it rip. Proper running form is vital to efficiency and longevity. Here are some of the most common mistakes that runners make that could lead to injuries or decreased performance.

​There are a lot of forces that go through the legs and body with each footstrike when running. This isn’t inherently dangerous, but there are ways to distribute the forces and reduce the risk of overuse injuries. Heel striking puts a lot of stress through the shin bone and knee, leading to shin splints, runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis (or fasciopathy), and more.

​Overstriding goes hand in hand with heel strike. If your stride length gets too far out in front of you, the only option is to hit the ground with the heel.

A narrow stride width can result in crossover, where the foot can almost (or in some cases will) cross the mid-line of the body. This could cause overpronation of the foot or stress structures around the knee or hip.

​The opposite of heel striking is when someone runs on their toes. This will increase stresses through the calf and achilles.

​We don’t want to be too upright, but we also don’t want to lean forward too far. It increases stress on the achilles and the low back muscles can get fatigued, leading to a feeling of tightness or pain.

​Whenever a runner comes through our doors we always assess their running form. If you think that you may have one of these faults, then come talk to a running specialist. Click the link below to request a Free Discovery Visit and we will get to the bottom of why you are dealing with pain. We only have a limited number of spaces each week, so claim yours now!

So you have been dealing with a nagging pain. You decide that you should just take a couple weeks off from running or working out and let it heal. Maybe even your physician prescribed the rest. While proper rest and recovery is important, it is likely not the solution to your problem.

People often get stuck in this rest/injury cycle. Where they get hurt, rest, come back, get hurt, rest, come back, etc. Spinning their wheels and stalling their progress.

It’s not that rest is inherently bad. Resting will help the irritated tissues heal and reduce the pain and symptoms. This is seen as the solution to the problem. “I feel better, so everything must be good, right?” Not really.

Ask yourself this, why did you get hurt in the first place? There are a lot of factors that could answer this question. This could be poor nutrition, poor sleep, and even improper rest time. If any of these are not addressed properly, then our recovery could be sub-optimal and lead to overuse injuries. But the main factor I want to focus on is finding the root cause of the problem.

If you are a runner with foot pain, is the foot the real cause of the problem? Probably not. We would look further up the chain. Some things we would asses are:
​

• Does the ankle have enough mobility?
• Are the hips able to prevent overpronation?
• Is your stride too long?
• Does the trunk have enough rotation? (Yes, the upper body could cause a foot problem)

If all you do to heal an injury is rest, the root cause never gets addressed. As soon as you jump back into training, the cycle of pain and injury begins again.

Don’t get stuck spinning your wheels when you have goals that you want to achieve, group runs to participate in, or need that stress relief after work. Break the cycle by giving us a call at (607) 425-3369 or clicking the link below to request a Free Discovery Visit!

What is a Discovery Visit? It is a free 20 minute visit with a sports injury specialist where we sit down and talk about what you have been struggling with. At the end of the visit we let you know exactly what is going on and how we can help you fix it. If that sounds like something you would be interested in, then click the link below to quest one of these limited sessions!

The gym is a place to get stronger and better yourself. Lifting weights is actually very safe contrary to what some people may say. While it does carry a lower risk of injury than most sports, there is still some risk involved. But if you avoid making these 5 mistakes, you can mitigate the risk of injury even more!

​A proper warm up will accomplish a few things: loosen up the joints and muscles, get the heart rate up, and prepare the nervous system for whatever movements you will perform for the day.

Your warm up does not need to be 30 minutes, but it should be around 10 minutes of a few specific movements. Choose from some mobility work, stability exercises, and a few lower sets of whatever your first movement is.

A good example of why you should warm up is if you plan to squat and immediately get under the bar with limited hip rotation, then your knees will not be able to get in a good alignment. This could not only put extra stress on certain muscles or joints. It will also make the lift harder and limit your potential to build muscle or strength.

​In general, we do not want to wear running shoes to lift weights because a lot of them are built to cushion impact. When doing exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts it is important to have a stable foot. Shoes with a flatter base and minimal cushioning are better (converse, vans, etc).

Runners can obviously wear running shoes. Crossfitters may want to look into cross training shoes that have a blend of stability and cushioning.

Making sure that your shoes fit properly is also important. This will prevent blisters and allow you to maintain proper function of the foot. Your local running store or shoe store should be able to help you get the best shoe and fit for you.

​Pain is a signal from our body that we need to slow down. Doing too much is one of the biggest factors in overuse injuries sustained when working out. Not taking days off will also be a detriment to your progress because it will result in a buildup of fatigue and decreased performance.

Take active rest days where you do some kind of activity, but not your normal workout. Hiking, biking, swimming, or yoga are all good options.

Ramping up the intensity and volume of your training properly is what will help your body adapt and get stronger. Doing too much, too quickly will not allow your muscles to adapt fast enough. This, again, can lead to overuse issues.

A good rule of thumb is to slowly increase one factor (i.e. sets, reps, time) at a time by 10-20% a week. When running, you will want to shoot for the lower end for increasing mileage.

​Do not ignore an injury because it will likely only get worse if you keep pushing through it. Making the recovery process much longer than if you were to just take care of it right away.

With that being said, staying active is important. When working with us we always give options for our clients to exercise around the pain without aggravating it.

There you have it, 5 common mistakes that people make in the gym and some tips to fix them. If you are dealing with an injury that is preventing you from making progress, then give us a call at (607) 425-3369 or click the link below to request a Free Discovery Visit. At this visit we will sit down and talk about how long you have been struggling, what does/doesn’t help, and lay out a plan to fix it!

​Heel pain is reported to be the third most common running related injury. About 10% of runners will experience heel pain in their lifetime. All heel pain is not created equal though. There are other possible diagnoses of heel pain, but plantar fasciitis is the most common. Here are the major signs that your foot pain is plantar fasciitis and what to do to fix it.

​The most common location of symptoms are on the inside edge of the heel, right at the base of the foot arch. Putting pressure at this location with your thumb can make you jump out of your seat. Keep in mind that if the pain is at another location it does not mean that it’s not plantar fasciitis.

​Pain upon the first steps taken in the morning is another hallmark sign of plantar fasciitis. Laying in bed all night causes the plantar fascia to tighten up. A few minutes of walking on it will bring blood flow and fluid to the area and loosen it up, so you should notice the pain reduce significantly. The same thing happens if you have pain when getting up after sitting for a long period of time.

​On the same note as the previous sign, it will hurt worse at the beginning of the run, then ease after you’ve warmed up. It may return at the end of the run, depending on your mileage.

​Bend your big toes back towards the top of the foot. Does it feel tight or cause the pain you feel in the heel? Compare this to the opposite foot, especially if that foot is pain free.

Pulling the big toe back winds up the plantar fascia and stretches it. This actually happens when your foot is behind you in your stride (before it leaves the ground) or when doing lunges (the trail leg).

Heel pain can be very debilitating if not treated properly. Here is the focus of a physical therapy plan of care that will take care of heel pain and get you back to exercising pain free.

• Reducing calf tightness
• Strengthening the foot and calf muscles
• Improving core and hip stability
• Making changes to walking/running pattern
• Over-the-counter orthoses can help temporarily to provide pressure relief

Temporary rest may be needed if running or lifting weights increases symptoms. The biggest key is fixing the root cause of the problem to prevent it from coming back. This could be just reducing calf tightness or it could be making a change to walking or running patterns to reduce pressure on the heel or stress on the plantar fascia.

​Plantar fasciitis is a treatable and preventable injury that responds well to physical therapy treatment. If you have been dealing with heel pain that prevents you from hitting PRs, then click the link below to request a Free Discovery Visit. We will sit down and get to the bottom of what is going on and tell you how we will help you fix it!

​The biggest fear with shoulder pain is “do I have a rotator cuff tear and does it require surgery?”. Even if you have been diagnosed with a rotator cuff tear and been advised by your physician to get surgery, you can always get a second opinion. Here are some things to consider before deciding to get surgery.

​The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that stabilize the shoulder joint. They assist in rotating the shoulder, but their main job is to keep the ball (at the top of the upper arm) in the socket (of the shoulder blade).

​Just like we get wrinkles on our skin, we get “wrinkles” inside our bodies as we age. In this case, it happens in the form of small tears in the rotator cuff. Many people go through life without even realizing that they have them because they do not have pain, so they never see it on an MRI.

We also use our shoulders every day to pick up or reach for things. This adds up to thousands of reps every week. The shoulder is a tightly packed space and if the muscles surrounding the joint are weak or not functioning properly, it can cause the rotator cuff to rub and become irritated. Over time this irritation can lead to some breakdown or tearing.

The other way that rotator cuff tears can develop is from a traumatic injury, like falling on an outstretched hand.

The first symptoms are pain around the shoulder, typically at the front of the shoulder or at the top side.

Symptoms may include:

• Pain at front or top edge of shoulder
• Pain with overhead activities
• Pain at rest or at night
• Shoulder weakness
• Shoulder stiffness

​If surgery is suggested, then you will still be required to do physical therapy after. Most people do well with surgery and improve their function of the shoulder, but studies have found about a 20% chance of retearing the tendon.

It will be necessary for some people to get surgery right away, but for most people it is better to go through PT before electing for the surgery.

​Physical therapy helps many people avoid the cost and burden of surgery. A trained PT can provide a thorough evaluation and help determine if you would benefit from treatment before even thinking about surgery.

Research supports exercise as an effective way to improve shoulder strength and quality of life. Physical therapists can also target weaknesses that may have caused the injury and reduce the risk of tear in the future.

​If you have a shoulder injury and want to know if you can avoid surgery, then click the link below and we can talk about your options and how we can help you!

​Gymnastics can be a very demanding sport, especially for young athletes.  Unfortunately injuries can be common, but we have some tips to keep your gymnast healthy and able to perform at the highest level possible.

This is one of the most common injuries in gymnastics because the sport involves a lot of backward bending. Flexibility is important, but being flexible in the right places is the key to staying injury free.

Most injuries appear when the athlete has limited flexibility at the shoulder and/or hips. When this happens the low back has to pick up the slack and you will see a “hinge point” in the low back. This “hinge point” is a sharp bend in one spot in the low back, instead of having a smooth curve along the entire spine.
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• ​Key Points: Improve shoulder and hip flexibility

​Gymnasts have to bear weight on their hands and wrist with movements like handstands. They also put a lot of stress on the wrists when on the bars. Limited wrist mobility or strength is a possibility and we definitely work on it with our clients. Another possibility is poor shoulder flexibility because it can put extra strain on the wrist joint and muscles

• Key Points: Improve flexibility and strength of the shoulder and wrist

Hard landings, especially with stiff legs, can put a lot of stress on the knee joints. When pain is focused in the front of the knee, it could be from poor knee position when landing or just doing too much high impact landing. This can be addressed by reducing the amount of repetitions in practice.

The hip controls the knee, so weakness in the overall hip muscles can be something that is causing inefficient landing technique. This would be the root cause of the problem: poor hip stability putting stress on the knees and producing knee pain.

As far as treatment goes, some gentle range of motion and strengthening exercises will be important early on to promote healing and pain reduction.

• Key Points: Improve landing technique and strength and stability of the hip and knee

Ankle sprains are common in a lot of sports. There are ligaments that support the ankle, but the outside ligaments are not as strong as the inside ones. That is why most people roll their ankle inward and hurt the outer part of the ankle. The ankle muscles have to react to the ground with every step or landing to help prevent the ankle from rolling.

There are two important factors for ankle injuries: the strength and stability of the ankle muscles and hip control. Like I said the muscles need to turn on at the right times to support the joint and react. Also, hip control is just as important for the ankle as it is for the knee. If the foot lands too far underneath the middle of the body, then the ankle could be more prone to rolling.

Early treatment for a sprained ankle is gentle range of motion and isometrics. Regaining full range of motion will be very important, especially early on. Eventually we will need to improve balance reactions in the ankle because it is one of the biggest things affected with ankle sprains

• Key Points: Improve mobility and strength of the ankle, as well as hip stability

The shoulder is meant to be very mobile which is good because gymnastics requires a lot of flexibility. The problem is that there is not a lot of structural (bony) stability at the shoulder, it requires the muscles for support. If the shoulder muscles aren’t strong enough, then the joint can become unstable and create pain or discomfort.

Treatment is mainly focused on strengthening the muscles and stabilizing the joint, so that they can have plenty of flexibility and keep the shoulder joint from becoming irritated or injured.

• Key Points: Improve shoulder stability and strength

• Strength training will help prevent injuries and even take gymnasts to the next level in their performance and skills.
• A strong core will help them protect their low back and generate power from the arms and legs.
• Flexibility in the right areas is key to preventing injuries to nearby joints.
• Take some time off practicing certain skills that produce pain to allow the area to heal.
  
• Physical therapists are experts in assessing what body regions need to be addressed to prevent injury and some even help with improving performance.

If you have a young gymnast that has been struggling with an injury or just wants to get better at their skills, then click the link below and we will determine if we are the right fit for you!